Introduction

Peckham Vision community meeting on planning polciy for Peckham January 2016

From 2000/01 the Council has been developing land use policy which specifically relates to Peckham town centre. This has been part of the never ending planning policy developments dictated by law and changes in the law by successive Governments. So there was the Unitary Development Plan finalised in 2006, overtaken by the Southwark Plan 2007, the Core Strategy 2010, the PNAAP (Peckham & Nunhead Area Action Plan) public hearings 2012 and approved in 2014, and now the New Southwark Plan (NSP) in preparation 2013 to 2017. This page records some of the work of Peckham Vision in informing and educating local residents and businesses of this, and facilitating discussion and supporting representations in the official processes.

Local Community Planning Networks

Peckham Planning Network (PPN)

The page also records the links to relevant official planning documents, and the work of the Peckham Planning Network (PPN). The PPN formed originally through the work in preparing for the PNAAP Public hearings, and brought together individuals interested in planning matters in Peckham. Peckham Vision founded the PPN and facilitated bimonthly meetings. This developed into the mailing list for Peckham Vision's overall community planning project which is to increase the number of local people well informed about planning. The way to become involved now is to take part in the work of Peckham Vision in the shop and studio, community events or in the working groups and teams on particular topics. To keep up to date follow Facebook, twitter or instagram and join the mailing list, email info@peckhamvision.org

SPN meeting December 2017

Southwark Planning Network (SPN)

The SPN grew out of the list of community people who took part in the Core Strategy Public Hearings in 2010. Using the successful experience of developing the PPN, Eileen Conn, co-ordinator of Peckham Vision, has applied the lessons to the SPN on a similar model. The SPN is now meeting regularly for mutual support across the different main neighbourhoods in Southwark on planning policy and other mutual interests. Currently this is mainly the development of the New Southwark Plan (NSP) and how to develop more effective and genuine ways for local communities to shape the policies as they affect the local neighbourhoods. An election hustings on planning and regeneration is being arranged for Saturday 14th April 2018. More information here on the Southwark Planning Network (SPN).

Just Space Network

Peckham Vision is active also in Just Space a London-wide network of neighbourhood community groups which work together with academics from UCL Bartlett School of Planning on planning matters affecting London, including the London Plan. See here for more information:

Council weblinks on this page

Council planning weblinks have all changed. It will take some time to restore all the links. If the link on this page you want is part of the PNAAP process and is broken you can find the adopted Peckham & Nunhead Area Action Plan (PNAAP) here http://www.southwark.gov.uk/downloads/download/4444/area_action_plans
The Council says you can also access it from the Area Action Plans page by clicking on the relevant link, along with the supporting and background documents here: http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200211/area_action_plans which can be accessed from the main planning policy page on the left hand side.
For any other broken Council links, Google search the subject or name of the document and Southwark Council.

2019

January 2019 London Plan EiP

The EiP (Examination in Public) of the London Plan starts at City Hall by Tower Bridge on Tuesday 15th January. The EiP continues until May 2019. The whole programme of round table discussion sessions is here. The sessions are in public, and local people are welcome. It is worth experiencing to see this part of the planning system in operation - it provides the umbrella under which everything else in London planning has to conform. This and the nature of these Hearings illustrate a bit why strange things seem to happen in planning. Peckham Vision is taking part along with Just Space and has submitted Written Statements for three sessions:

on the role of local community organisations and processes in the living nature of 'social infrastructure', without which the Plan will not be able to 'create a healthy city and building strong and inclusive communities' as it aims to do. This will be the subject of the examination of Chapter 5 on Social Infrastructure, in the session on Friday 3rd May 2019 at 9.30am - 1pm.

2018

February 2018 Localism Commission reports

The Localism Commission report ‘People Power’ has been published. Southwark Community submitted evidence to the Commission in May 2017. The Commission has uncovered a key issue in enabling communities to make a real contribution in shaping their neighbourhoods. This is the imbalance of power between communities and local government. For all this there needs to be a shift in culture which the Commission has recognized. But there also needs to be a recognition of the significant differences between the voluntary sector made up mainly of registered charities, and the community sector covering the much wider and larger activity in community groups and networks. Much more work needs to be done on this. Some of the issues are examined in Eileen Conn’s paper on the Social Eco-System Dance. We look forward to seeing what happens next to find ways of genuinely shifting local government and voluntary sector culture to enable real collaborative working at local level. The report quotes (page 34) Peckham Vision as follows:

“The devolution of decision making and managing public services to lower levels of institutions and organisations needs to be distinguished from the processes needed to enable communities and neighbourhoods which are impacted by those decisions to be fully involved in the process leading up to the decisions.” Eileen Conn, Peckham Vision, written evidence

We will observe with active interest how the Commission takes forward its call for action.

January-February 2018 NSP workshops

Peckham Vision is arranging a series of community workshops about the New Southwark Plan (NSP) through the Southwark Planning Network (SPN) and with Community Southwark and Southwark Law Centre. Further information here.

2017

SPN meeting December 2017

4th December 2017 SPN meeting

In the first part of the meeting, the SPN meeting heard from Prof Kevin Fenton Director of Health & Public Wellbeing at the Council on the development of the new Social Regeneration policy now a strategic policy in the New Southwark Plan (NSP). Philip Waters from the Council Planning Department explained this stage of the NSP consultation which was the formal stage leading to the Examination in Public (EiP) in the second half of 2018. The second half was a workshop about the SPN's approach to examining the NSP and helping people to prepare their comments in the right form. The SPN welcomed the proposed SPN drop-in sessions for this in January, now that the Council had agreed after community representations to extend the comments deadline until 12th February.

28th October 2017 Planning workshop

Peckham Vision, Community Southwark and Southwark Law Centre have come together with the aim of supporting community engagement with planning issues in the borough. This interactive workshop will seek to identify the best methods for allowing individuals to engage in the planning process, through collaborative discussions between participants. The outcomes of these discussions will inform future attempts to develop a programme that residents can use to help their communities gain a better understanding of planning issues and the planning process. Further information here and booking here via eventbrite: https://goo.gl/W9d8LC

22nd June 2017 Interim consultation

The Council unexpectedly issued a further NSP ‘interim’ consultation on 22nd June 2017 on the New Southwark Plan and the Old Kent Road Area Action Plan:

Both consultations close on 13th September. These are additional consultations on new and amended policies and some site allocations which will be taken into account when they draft the Submission version for both NSP and OKRAAP. They still intend to publish the Submission versions later this year.

The Localism Act 2011 gave a number of new powers to local communities to shape their own neighbourhoods. There have been mixed results to these across the country, though some successes like our local ones the Ivy House and the Peckham Liberal Club. There is a new Commission which is taking evidence from around the country about how to improve the Act and the way it works. The workshop on 30th May will bring together our community experiences in Southwark. This is for people who have had any experience of trying to use the powers in the Act, or have thought about it and decided not to, or have an interest in how the community can have more effect on what happens to its neighbourhood. This workshop is a joint effort between Peckham Vision, Southwark Planning Network and Community Southwark. More information about the Localism Commission is here.

A copy of the submissions sent to the Commission following the workshop are here:

May 2017 submissions on Peckham 4 sites

The Council’s consultation on the NSP Preferred Options for site allocations and Area Visions originally ended on 28th April, but has now been extended until 7th July. Here is a copy of the submissions from Peckham Vision's coordinator from the collation of the comments and discussion facilitated during the consultation for the following Peckham sites:

April 2017 4 sites walk

On 1st April, Peckham Vision facilitated a walk around the 4 Peckham sites. allocated in the New Southwark Plan for re-development in Peckham. Around 40 joined us for the walk on a busy Saturday morning. Here are some brief Facebook reports and pictures from the event:

April 2017 comments on the NSP

Over the last several weeks our Peckham Vision community team has facilitated a number of discussions through meetings, site walks and email exchanges about the proposals, and helped many people to engage with the planning policy documents and processes. We have brought together in four pdfs, one for each of the 4 sites, the basic facts about each site, and some of the comments that have been made in this process together with the Council's own NSP text. These 4 pdfs can be used as a checklist to consider what comments to make on any of the sites. This can be approached by looking at what the Council's text says in each pdf under the headings 'Site Vision' and 'Design & Accessibility Guidance', and what is said in the Comments collated from the various discussions. Some highlights for each of the sites include:

NSP58 Choumert Grove Car Park: local residents welcome the retention of the town centre car park, but there is widespread concern at the proposal to put a large residential development in the car park. The pdf gives more information about the concerns.

NSP56 Cinema & Multi Storey car park: we have created a web based template letter here - https://peckhamvision.wixsite.com/peckhammultistorey - setting out the need for a review of the future possible reuses of the building before a decision for demolition and redevelopment as proposed in the NSP. Pdf here.

NSP57 Copeland Road Industrial site: this is the industrial land on both sides of Blackpool Road which houses several businesses including BuildBase and the bus garage. Pdf here.

March 2017 NSP overview

The Council are now consulting on the ‘Preferred Option’ in part 2 of the New Southwark Plan (NSP), until 7th July 2017 (extended from 28th April 2017). This sets out the land sites proposed for redevelopment across the borough in 14 neighbourhoods, including Peckham, and for each neighbourhood a one page ‘Area Vision’. Part 1 of the NSP covers all the land use policies, and was consulted on in early 2016. After this current consultation the Council will publish their NSP ‘Submission’ version for consultation in late 2017. This version will be submitted to the central Government for the Public Inquiry in 2018. Written objections have to be made to the Submission version to secure a right to speak at the Public Inquiry.

The Council can make changes at this stage to the preferred option text, but not at the next Submission stage. So it is worthwhile making comments now to seek changes to the proposed development sites and Area Visions. This is the extract of the Peckham pages. Comments can be made by:

emailing the Council Planning department - planningpolicy@southwark.gov.uk quoting the site name and your name and address. OR

February 2017 Four development sites

New Southwark Plan published for consultation Consultation will continue until 5pm on 28th April 2017. The text contains the 'Area Visions' and the 'site allocations' for redevelopment. There are 4 site allocations in Peckham town centre. These are:

The details for these are on pages 207-219 in this extract of the Peckham pages. The NSP also gives proposed plans for 14 neighbourhood areas right across the borough. In addition to Peckham, others covered include Camberwell, Old Kent Road, Nunhead and East Dulwich. The list of neighbourhoods is on Pages 3-4 in the NSP here. There are also one page 'area visions' for each neighbourhood, see page 205 for Peckham here.

4 sites walk map

WALKABOUT & DISCUSSION
We are preparing more information about the 4 development sites. We will also lead a tour of them on Saturday 1st April 11am-2pm, including a studio discussion of the NSP proposals. If you want to take part please book a free place here. This is the last moment when it may be possible to have some effect on the Council's plans for Peckham before the formal Public Inquiry in 2018. So it is well worthwhile to look at the proposals and prepare to give views before the end of April. The next consultation stage in the Autumn will be a formal one leading to the Public Inquiry. Report on the successful walkabout being prepared. See:

SPREADING THE WORD
Can you help to spread the word? If you are part of any local group or network, can you share this link with them? If people want to know more and keep in touch please ask them to email info@peckhamvision.org to ask to join our mailing list and/or follow Peckham Vision on Facebook or twitter. If you have any queries or suggestions, you can call into Peckham Vision shop on Tuesdays 2-4pm or Saturdays 2-5pm for more information. There is always someone to talk to about planning.

January 2017 Draft New Southwark Plan (NSP) revealed

The draft text for neighbourhood area Visions and for the designated development sites was presented to the Council Cabinet on 24th January 2017. They will be available for consultation in February until April. Here is a preview of the pages for Peckham.

2016

February submitted comments

Some comments which were submitted will be uploaded here.

6 February NSP Comments deadline

There are 7 days left (5pm 12th Feb) to get your comments to the Council on the New Southwark Plan (NSP). The NSP is the key planning policy document used in planning decisions for the next 15 to 20 years. So it is important! Part of the document will be a “vision statement” for some neighbourhoods. Peckham is one of these. A brief summary of some key emerging issues for Peckham's future, which have emerged in local discussion over the last couple of months:

the damaging effect, of concentrating tall buildings up to 20 storeys in the town centre, on the distinctiveness of Peckham.

the need to create social housing and not high cost accommodation.

the priority of all new family homes having quality outdoor play space nearby.

the need to protect small businesses in the cultural and leisure economy from having new residential accommodation built near them.

improving the management of anti social behaviour from the customers of the new evening and night time economy.

enabling the multi storey car park building to develop a long term future as a centre with flexible spaces for arts, cultural, community, start ups, small independent enterprises etc.

the protection the NSP gives to the view of the central London skyline from One Tree Hill, needs to be given to the same view from publically accessible rooftops in central Peckham.

seeking designation of Nunhead Reservoir as an open space.

setting out in the NSP how the local community will be involved by developers and the council in discussion about all plans.

showing clearly what extra services will be needed and their provision to serve the needs of thousands of new additional residents.

The Council also wants to have comments by 12th February on their proposed borough planning policies in the New Southwark Plan. The text for these policies is here: http://goo.gl/2hifdf. Our guidance note which we circulated in December - http://goo.gl/9sszYb - gives further information on this and how to find your way around the document. By following the guidance note you can see what is being said on topics related to most of the issues in the list above, which are therefore relevant background for them.

27th January 2016 Public Community Meeting

Over 200 people came together on 27th January 2016 to share views on Peckham’s future in the Council's consultation on planning policy. It was a fabulous opening to new levels of dialogue within the community about Peckham. These are being followed up with people who came forward to join in continuing conversations about the issues that were raised for discussion.

2015

27 December 2015 New Southwark Plan (NSP) Preferred Option

The Council’s Preferred Option for the New Southwark Plan (NSP) was published in October for consultation to 12th February 2016. The *Preferred Option* means that the Council have stated what they want the NSP to say. But at this stage there are still opportunities for influencing this in the consultation. Peckham Vision held a workshop on 18th November with three planning policy officers. This was an introduction to the NSP and the issues it raises, and how to make comments. Here are the officers’ notes of the points raised in the workshop. [to upload] Peckham Vision has produced this guidance note on how to identify the Council’s policies to see how they may address local concerns about the future of Peckham. Further guidance is available on Tuesday and Saturday afternoons 2pm-4pm at Peckham Vision shop, in Holdron’s Arcade 135A Rye Lane, and at the drop-in on Wednesday 27th January from 3pm at CLF Art Café, 133 Rye Lane. This will be followed by a public community meeting, open to everyone who lives, works or trades locally, at 7-9pm for a local discussion of the visions for Peckham.

190 Rye Lane Planning Application

11th December 2015 More information

The impact of 190 Rye Lane proposed development on neighbouring premises:

Here is more info about the housing development, and and why it is of concern to the owner of the Canavan's business. The Council hasn't yet set the consultation date deadline. Meanwhile volunteers with planning and / or acoustics experience, please let us know, so you can help advise Canavan's and their supporters on their reponse to the planning issues.

8th December 2015 Planning application submitted

BREAKING NEWS: plans have just been submitted to build 22 new flats next to Canavan's pool bar on Rye Lane.
During the pre-application consultation in September, a number of concerns were raised including the damaging effect on Canavan’s pool club next door of substantial new housing, the affordability of the new housing units, and the potential for alternative uses on the site more compatible with the surrounding town centre, rather than just residential.

The developer’s response to these concerns is in this document from the planning application.

This application has now been accepted by the Planning Department. The site notice will be displayed around 4th January 2016, and the consultation period will run from then.

133 Rye Lane Planning Application

133 Rye Lane

5 December 2015 Great Success

The developer has withdrawn the planning application for change of use of 133 Rye Lane to 11 luxury flats and extensions upwards and downwards, and has declared they want to work with local people for the long term non-residential future of the building. This is a success for the building, for the businesses that would have been so badly affected if it went ahead, and for the town centre to get a development that suits the needs of the town centre and that isn’t at odds with it. But there is an even greater significance to it. This developer listened to the community, dropped their residential plan, and said that “by taking a longer term interest in this building, we hope to develop good relationships with our neighbours and be a part of all the great things which are happening and will no doubt continue to happen in Peckham.”
The key thing is that a property developer has listened and changed tack and wants to collaborate with local people and businesses. This is a huge success in the battle across London where local interests are being overridden all the time by the inwardly focussed corporate property development world. An important part of this particular victory is that this shows it does not HAVE to be local v developer, but we can be all in it together to get a good result for all. It just about makes the pain of the existing hopeless system bearable to have this result. Welcome to these developers in pioneering a collaborative development approach. More info

24 November 2015 Westminster News TV

17th November 2015 Public Community Meeting

We had a wonderful community meeting where the overwhelming view was that the building at 133 Rye Lane, which is the entrance there to Copeland Park, should be conceived as part of the whole Copeland Park site in terms of its function. This building is the one that has the passage way into the courtyard in front of the Bussey Building. It is not the Bussey Building itself. More later on why does this have such big implications for the future of the Bussey and Copeland Park.
There were many contributions from the heart about the importance to people and the local economy of everything that the Bussey Building and the rest of Copeland Park now offers. The developers who have bought the building at 133 Rye Lane and made the planning application were present to listen to the community’s voice. They had already asked the Council to ‘pause’ the planning application while they reflected on their proposal in the light of the hundreds and more objections.
There is no new deadline date for comments. The planning application may proceed or it may be withdrawn and/or a further application with a new proposal may be submitted. We will keep you in touch as soon as there is news. You can still put in comments on the current one, but the Council and the developers seem to have got the community message that the proposal is not acceptable. The Council has never had so many objections to a planning application. Their website crashed several times.
To get a flavour of the meeting please see the tweets here: https://twitter.com/hashtag/savebussey?src=hash
UPLOAD pics from event

17th November afternoon stall in Bussey courtyard

Before the public community meeting about 133 Rye Lane planning application last Tuesday in the Bussey Building, we had a stall in the Bussey courtyard for over three hours with info about the developer’s plans and also about other developments around there in Central Rye Lane. It was the beginning of a weather storm with the wind so loud it was a challenge to talk! Even so we had a steady stream of visitors from people dropping in as they walked along Rye Lane and people who knew about it from email and social media.
It was great to be able to explain what was proposed, with the drawings and plans, right in the place where it would happen. The photos show the conversations in the space between the Bussey Building and the back of the building at 133 Rye Lane – the space where people hang out to smoke and talk and socialise who are at Bussey events, and also where people walk in and out of the Copeland Park site. It is a small space just right for that but the concern is that it is not compatible with residential housing above. The high risk is that, however much the flats would be designed to try to reduce external noise intruding, they wouldn’t manage it enough in practise.
The developers will be saying next Friday what they are going to do after thinking about the objections.
The Design and Access statement is the document to read. It is in four parts here: http://planbuild.southwark.gov.uk/documents/?casereference=15%2FAP%2F3666&system=DC

15 November 2015 Publicity for Public Community meeting

Tuesday 17th November 2-6pm drop-in; 7-9m public meeting @ 133 Rye Lane.
Please come to find out more and take part in the community discussion about the development plans for the 133 Rye Lane building. Also discuss other changes and plans in that Central Rye Lane area, and how to safeguard the growing cultural economy and have a clean environment.
POSTER

13 November 2015 Noise v new housing

A big issue across London is the way evening and night time businesses, especially entertainment venues like CLF Art Café and Canavans, are being shut down as a result of residents’ noise complaints. The residents are usually occupiers of new residential units built after the entertainment businesses were established. This is therefore a great concern to the businesses in close proximity to the new residential housing proposed for 133 Rye Lane. It is the same issue raised by the plan for 22 housing units at 190 Rye Lane next to Canavans night club, (planning application expected any day now).
Developers say that the way they have incorporated new acoustics designs and technology will solve the problems, as they have both said in each of these Rye Lane cases. But Planning Resource, the planners’ journal, reports: “Noise complaints from the residents of new homes next to live music venues are partly blamed for contributing to a 35 per cent drop in the number of such establishments in London since 2007.” http://www.planningresource.co.uk/…/planners-help-save-lond… So the businesses on site think it is too big a risk to put new housing beside their existing evening and night time businesses.
More information about these issues:

The public events on Tuesday 17th November will give more detailed information about the proposed plans and the issues arising from them, and an opportunity to discuss them with the businesses and other local people. Please do come and take part:

2-6pm drop-in @ Bussey Court in front of Bussey Building.

7-9pm public meeting in CLF Art Cafe. Developers invited.

PIC CLF front

Public Meetings Tuesday 17th November

2-6pm: drop-in at Bussey Courtyard in front of Bussey Building, entrance through 133 Rye Lane.
7-9pm: Public Meeting in CLF Art Café, Bussey Building. Developers invited.
Do come to one or both these events to get the information, hear the issues discussed and how to make your comments.
POSTER

12 November 2015 133 Rye Lane major redevelopment proposed

Major development is proposed by the new owners of the iconic building at 133 Rye Lane. The building was bought in early 2015 by private company Frame Property. They want to extend it by two floors on top, and two basement floors below, and convert the floors above the ground shop into 11 flats. The documents for the application are here: http://planbuild.southwark.gov.uk/documents/?casereference=15%2FAP%2F3666&system=DC
The key ones to read are the 4 parts of the Design and Access Statement:
Part 1 Introduction & Overview
Part 2 Analysis of existing site and context
Part 3 Project proposal
Part 4 Access & sustainability.
These proposals raise several issues and lots of concerns from the many small businesses behind in the Bussey Building and Copeland Park. The documents are now being studied to prepare the detailed responses. Issues raised include:

Damaging impact on the businesses of new housing so close to this important part of Peckham’s local economy.

Unacceptable high density for the housing.

The provision of high priced residential housing out of reach of local people.

November 2015 Peckham walking project

TfL consultants have been doing a preliminary consultation on improving pedestrian walking in the town centre. Here is a slide presentation on what has been uncovered so far. For further summaries see the project website. There is also an online survey available until Sunday 8th November 2015. Please share that with others you know. The next stage will be in the New Year when they will be seeking local views on projects and initiatives to help make Peckham town centre a better place for walking. Going forward, the main point of contact on this Peckham project from Southwark Council will be simon.phillips@southwark.gov.uk.

September 2015 190 Rye Lane development proposals

There is another Rye Lane development emerging - 190 Rye Lane. It is a medium large site. There is a pre planning application consultation on:

Thursday 17th September, 12 noon- 2pm and

Friday 18th September, 3 – 5pm

at 190 Rye Lane, near Asda and opposite Barclays Bank. Information is in this developers' newsletter. This is the developer's summary: Currently, the site is largely being used as a building salvage yard at the back of the site, with a hair salon with flats above at the front. The re-development plans include:

22 new apartments including a mixture of affordable and private housing across two four-storey buildings

Communal gardens for new residents

Refreshed ground floor retail space

Potential opportunity for a restaurant located within a new basement

21st July 2015 Success - Immediate Article 4

After hearing the deputation, the Council Cabinet agreed to recommend the Planning Committee adopt immediate Article 4. Just imagine, without local residents bringing this out to the Council's attention, they would have sleepwalked into Peckham town centre being irrevocably changed while they looked on from the side-lines. Now at least they can take a considered view of applications for change of use, and local people can have a voice in commenting on any applications - each case on its merits. That is how it should be in a democracy: informed citizens’ in action!

July 2015 Article 4 Direction

There was a Highshore Rd residents’ deputation to the Community Council on 6th July, to save Peckham town centre from the loss of retail space to the wrong kind of development. There is also an online petition. Last April the Council lost some planning powers to control the change of use of premises in the town centre. This means that they lost the power to stop retail spaces being turned into non retail space. There is already a planning application to turn the furniture shop on the corner of Highshore Rd and Rye Lane into an estate agents. The deputation is asking the Council to return the powers it lost to decide changes of use like this to aid better more informed decision making. They can do this by issuing an immediate ‘Article 4 direction’. For information see resident's report on the issues. There will also be a deputation to the Cabinet on Tuesday 21st July 4.30pm in the Council Offices, Tooley St. Further information

14th March 2015 Community Asset workshop

With support from Civic Voice, we held a workshop in our Bussey studio for 24 supporters of our work. Thanks to Sarah, Kathryn and Jenny who travelled from way outside London to support us in learning about the Localism Act and the new power it gives for local communities to protect buildings and open spaces they value. This new right means communities can ask their local council to list certain assets as being of value to the community. If an asset is listed and then comes up for sale, the new right will give communities that want it 6 months to put together a bid to buy it. This gives communities an increased chance to save much loved shops, pubs or other local facilities.
It gave local people the right to stop the sale of the Ivy House pub and the time to get the funds together to buy it, and the nomination and listing of the Peckham Liberal Club gave the members time to think again about the sale. In both cases the listing of the building resulted in the buildings with all their wonderful facilities being in community ownership. More info here on this new community power: http://www.civicvoice.org.uk/campaigns/assets-of-community-value. Civic Voice are encouraging all civic community groups to take advantage of this. In our workshop we identified dozens of potential local buildings and spaces to investigate. We drew up a community action plan for this, and will be spreading this information to other parts of Peckham so they can start developing their own plans.

6th March 2015 New Southwark Plan Options stage comments

Comments had to be submitted by 6th March 2015. Here are some: [to be uploaded]

March 2015 Cinema and multi-storey car park in the New Southwark Plan (NSP)

The Council has asked for comments in the NSP Schedule listing proposed development sites. This includes as Southwark Plan 69P the Cinema and multi-storey car park, without any commentary. At the PNAAP Public Hearings in July 2013, in response to the Council’s preference for the designation of this site as one for demolition to pave the way for a new development in place of the current building, the Planning Inspector said that the Council had “much work to do in order to finalise a properly substantiated proposal for this site. The pending preparation of the borough-wide New Southwark Plan provides an opportunity for this to be tackled.” There now needs to be a thorough reassessment of the ways the building could be adapted or converted for other uses, without demolition, to produce the properly substantiated proposals that the Inspector said needed to be done during the development of the New Southwark Plan. Members of the Peckham Planning Network have done some preliminary work on alternative uses for the building. This early work indicates that there is significant potential for its use as an all year round centre, and have asked the Council for discussion about how these possibilities will be properly examined as the Inspector recommended.

The building is now part of Peckham’s local history, and there is a strong case for its conservation and adaptation. At the Peckham and Nunhead Community Council meeting on 7th February 2015 it was agreed that there would be discussions between the Council and the Peckham Planning Network (PPN) about the way the work to finalise a properly substantiated proposal could be done. PPN is preparing for those discussions.

The NSP also includes the Aylesham Centre as a development site with the encouragement that it will include a tall building. This tall building would interfere with the magnificent views from the rooftops of the Bussey building and the multi storey car park. These now have commercial value and reputational value of significance for Peckham. The PPN has asked the Council that the Aylesham Centre plans need to be put on hold until the future of the car park building is settled.

February 2015 Tall Buildings in Peckham in New Southwark Plan

20 Storey building

A big issue for Peckham in the New Southwark Plan is the aim to encourage ‘tall’ buildings in Peckham town centre. This could be up to 20 storeys or more. One existing 20 storey building is just outside the town centre on the Clifton Estate near the junction of Consort Road and Queens Road (see photo). Peckham town centre is singled out in the draft New Southwark Plan (NSP) for being a place to encourage tall buildings alongside Elephant & Castle, Canada Water, Old Kent Road and Aylesbury. How would this protect the unique character of Peckham with its spread of architecture and buildings over three centuries and its human scale character, recognised now by its designation as a Conservation Area? This policy in the New Southwark Plan would mean that applications for tall buildings would be encouraged in a blanket fashion, and a key argument against developments with tall buildings damaging the unique character of Peckham, would probably not be available. In other areas not singled out for this policy the Plan says any such proposals will be **considered on their planning merits case by case**. Comments to the Council could ask for the Plan to apply that to Peckham as well. The last consultation ended in March 2015 on the Options report. The next consultation on the New Southwark Plan is expected in October 2015. This will be on their Preferred Options. In the meantime please contact your local ward councillor to give your views on tall buildings.

Saturday 24th January 2015 - The campaign was present on Rye Lane outside MacDonalds and in Rye Lane in front of the Cinema between 11am and 4pm. We added over 500 signatures to the petition and so talked with a lot of local people about the issues.

Saturday 7th February 2015 3.00pm:The petition was presented to the Community Council, and how the view from the rooftop relates to the future of the multi storey car park and research about alternative uses was explained. The Venue was at the Damilola Taylor Centre, 1 East Surrey Grove, off Commercial Way, near Southampton Way.poster

New Southwark Plan

The draft New Southwark Plan was published in October 2014 for consultation until 6th March 2015. The Southwark Planning Network met in Peckham Vision’s exhibition and studio on 15th December 2014 for a presentation and discussion with Planning officers from Southwark Council. The Peckham Planning Network is working on a response to some of the major issues raised by the Council's draft New Southwark Plan. The next meeting will be on 18th February. Email info@peckhamvision.org for further details. The next Council consultation public meetings are on these dates at 6.30pm: Dulwich Mon 19 Jan, Peckham Mon 26 Jan, Canada Water+Bermondsey Mon 2 Feb, Walworth + Elephant + Castle Mon 9 Feb, London Bridge Thurs 12 Feb.

2014

November 2014 PNAAP approved

The PNAAP is finally approved and becomes planning policy after over 7 years in prepration. Here are the links to the final documents:

September 2014 London Plan Public Hearings

The EiP (Examination in Public) Hearings have taken place 1- 18 September at City Hall. The EiP is conducted by the Government Inspector as round table discussions of questions the Inspector has asked about the London Plan. Peckham Vision gave evidence in session 6 on Employment on 9th September, and in session 7 on Retail & town centres on 11th September. There was a lively discussion of the evidence from Just Space and other community organisations, session 6 on Employment and session 7 on retail & town centres, about the absence of appropriate policies to support and nurture the self regenerating capacities of the local economies in medium sized town centres in London.

June 2014 Inspector's report published

provide more protection and encouragement for the use of business space for artistic and creative enterprises in central Peckham.

provide protection for The Arches Studios in Blenheim Court.

remove the demolition and redevelopment of the multi storey car park/cinema site from the plan, so that the Council can carry out further research into its future conversion and use as an arts and cultural centre.

May 2014 Election Planning Questions

The Peckham Planning Network (PPN) discusses planning policy issues as they affect Peckham and people living and working in Peckham. There are some policies which have a major impact. The PPN devised questions on some of these to put to the political parties standing for election to Southwark Council.

April 2014 Further Alterations to the London Plan (FALP)

In April community groups across London submitted comments on the proposed changes to the London Plan. According to Just Space Network,“A common thread in the responses is that the plan will be a waste of paper because it doesn’t begin to meet the housing implications of growth while it welcomes the growth itself. A linked problem is the way the plan fans the flames of land and property speculation which in turn impoverishes the majority of Londoners while enriching a minority and sprinkling skyscrapers along the river and in arbitrary spots elsewhere.” Peckham Vision, which is a member of the Just Space Network, has taken part in the work of the Just Space Economy and Planning Group. Through that, Peckham Vision developed its own comments. These drew from the experience of taking part in the consultations on the PNAAP and the community work on the Station Gateway redevelopment site. This Peckham case example supports the Just Space observations that there is an imbalance in the approach to housing needs and land and property developments. In addition, the Peckham case illustrates that there is a lack of understanding in the London Plan of the significance of self-generated organic change in medium size London town centres like Peckham.

April 2014 Planning issues in central Rye Lane

car park building from Moncrieff St

The core of the new cultural ‘hotspot’ area in central Peckham is clustered around Peckham Rye station in four main locations. See the maps and explanations here. These four sites have over the last 10 years been threatened with demolition and redevelopment for housing and new commercial units. One by one, however, through community action led by Peckham Vision, the potential for the area as a cultural ‘hotspot’ has been encouraged, promoted and publicised, and the plans for the demolition and redevelopment of each of the sites has been put under the spotlight. The current planning status for each is in summary as follows:

Multi-storey car park/cinema site: Council ownership; Council still wants to sell for demolition and redevelopment for new commerce and housing in spite of the huge success of Bold Tendencies, Frank’s Café and the Peckham Plex cinema showing its potential as a permanent cultural centre. Local community groups and individuals led by Peckham Vision persuaded the Inspector at the PNAAP Public Hearings in July 2013 that the Council needed to research the car park/cinema complex becoming a permanent cultural centre. The Inspector’s report with his final recommendations is now published (June 2014) and recommends multi-storey car park to be removed from PNAAP designation for further research: see report pages 28-29, paragraphs 127 - 134.See here for the further developments in 2015.

In addition, the view from the top of the car park and from the top of the Bussey building, which is a significant extra attraction for visitors to the central area of Rye Lane, is threatened. The Council is encouraging developers to build a 20 storey tall building as part of the redevelopment of the site which lies just to the north of the multi storey car park between Hanover Park and Peckham High Street. This is the Morrison’s/Aylesham Centre site. See PNAAP pages 165 - 166. Very few local people or businesses seem to know of this plan. The petition launched in August 2014 aims to remedy this, and seeks time for public discussion during the public consultations in the review of the future of the multi storey car park as recommended by the Planning Inspector see report pages 28-29, paragraphs 127 - 134.

Bussey/Copeland site: in private ownership; now more protected after the Council designation for a high security tram depot was defeated in 2009, the new Conservation Area was set up and includes the Bussey building, and the PNAAP (Council Plan) now encourages protection for cultural enterprises.

Land between the rail lines and viaducts. This is designated in the New Southwark Plan for being opened up at some stage to town centre uses. It is also where the Peckham Coal Line route would start. [link to the NSP plan to be inserted]

Peckham Liberal Club: private ownership through membership (open to all at £20 annual fee). The Peckham Liberal Club was planning to sell most of the land for commercial housing redevelopment. This was halted in 2013 by local residents’ successful nomination of the buildings as an Asset of Community Value under the Localism Act, and also reviving the Club as a sought after venue for social and entertainment events.

6th January 2014 PNAAP modifications consultation responses

The Arches Studios: workshops & retail in Blenheim Court

During the preparation for the Public Hearings July 2013, a number of local residents and organisations worked together, and from
this the Peckham Planning Network (PPN) evolved. As a result the PPN submitted a response to the consultation, in addition to those from other local organisations and individuals. Responses to the consultation had to be submitted by the deadline of 5pm 6th January 2014. They will be posted on the Council’s website in due course. In the meantime here are some of them:

provision for use of business space for artistic and creative enterprises in central Peckham.

need to protect, from negative effects of the station redevelopment, the spaces used by the artistic and creative industries alongside and behind the station in Holly Grove, Blenheim Grove, Dovedale Court and Blenheim Court (The Arches Studios).

remove the demolition and redevelopment of the multi storey car park / cinema site from the plan, to carry out further research into its future conversion and use as an arts and cultural centre.

maintain the location of the cinema on its current site.

the construction of tall buildings on four proposed sites.

the application to the PNAAP of the Government's 'presumption in favour of sustainable development’.

The Inspector’s report is expected in mid 2014.

display panel: Summary of the five consultations

2013

16th-18th December 2013 Community pop-up planning exhibition

Peckham Vision, working with the Peckham Planning Network (PPN), provided a 3 day community pop up exhibition with display panels on five consultations of significance for Peckham town centre. The exhibition included guidance and background material to make comments on each of the different consultations. [LINK to be uploaded- Here is a collation of all the panels.] Each of the panels will be able to be downloaded individually here:

For the PNAAP modifications, Peckham Vision has provided a sample letter to send to the Council for those who wish to support the Inspector’s proposals to strengthen the PNAAP’s protection of workspaces for the creative and artistic industries. This needs to be with the Council before 5pm on 6th January 2014 and can be sent by email. Details are on the sample letter, and further information below.

Inspector’s proposed PNAAP modifications & the creative industries

The Inspector's proposals in the 'Post Hearings Note' covered a range of topics. Four concerned the provision of premises for artistic and creative enterprises. At the Public Hearings local people had said that the PNAAP should protect such workplaces. The Inspector agreed and referred to the PNAAP’s aim to build on Peckham’s growing ‘reputation as a creative hotspot’ and ‘to foster this innovative strand of the local economy’. To achieve this, the Inspector suggested changes to:

Policy 6 Business Space: to encourage the provision of premises for artistic and creative enterprises in the town centre - including around Peckham Rye station and Blenheim Grove and the Copeland site (Pages 2-3).

PNAAP site 2 cinema/multi-storey car park: to delete this site from the AAP so the Council can assess its suitability for other uses such as an arts & cultural centre (Pages 8-10).

PNAAP site 4 Bussey building & Copeland Industrial Park: to support and encourage creative and artistic enterprises (Pages 10-11).

PNAAP site 6 Peckham Rye Station: to retain Blenheim Court – known as The Arches Studios and encourage their use by creative and artistic enterprises (Pages 11-12).

The significance of the three sites identified – multi-storey car park, Bussey/Copeland Park, Peckham Rye Station site - is that they are at the heart of the ‘creative hotspot’ that the Inspector refers to. It is their close proximity to each other and the interaction that enables, for both the enterprises and their visitors, that is providing the creative environment for business enterprise and for artistic and cultural initiatives. This is why strengthening the encouragement and support for appropriate accommodation for these kinds of enterprises is critical to continued development of Peckham’s new and emerging creative economy. For those who wish to support the Inspector’s proposals to strengthen the PNAAP’s protection of workspaces for the creative and artistic industries, here is a link to the sample letter. This needs to be with the Council by 5pm on 6th January 2014 and can be sent by email. Details are on the sample letter.

Other topics included in the proposed modifications were mainly technical or for drafting clarity:

The Council issued a paper (CDP2 - 6.75MB) setting out the proposed changes to the PNAAP - Table of potential main modifications required by the Inspector, subject to confirmation. This began the consultation on the proposals the Inspector made in his 'Post Hearings Note' and the reasons for them. Comments on all or any of these proposed modifications must be made to the Council by 5pm on 6th January 2014. The Inspector will decide if further hearings are needed after he receives the public comments and Council comments in January 2014. When the PNAAP is finalised, expected by mid 2014, it becomes the planning policy for planning applications and other planning matters in Peckham for the next 10-15 years.
The key documents for the consultation are:

Inspector's letter to the Council re main modifications (32.36 KB PDF)

The Inspector has upheld a number of objections and has asked the Council to arrange further public consultation on his suggested text amendments. We are analysing these and will soon give further comments and news about the public consultation timetable and process. The Inspector will issue his report following these new public consultations.

23rd July to 1st August 2013 PNAAP Public Hearings

Local people survived the marathon of the Public Hearings of the PNAAP (Peckham & Nunhead Area Action Plan. 15 local residents, along with two professionals representing a property owner and the GLA, appeared for different topics, and several residents came to support. Only those who had sent in written objections last December could speak. Government Inspector Alan Woolnough led round-table discussions on Matters, Issues and Questions he had devised from the submitted objections. This led to interesting discussions on matters affecting the future of Peckham’s economic, social and environmental well being.

round table discussions

Major issues were:

damaging impact of proposed tall buildings;

future of the multi storey car park, cinema & Bold Tendencies;

role & protection of the creative industries in the local economy;

protection of the creative enterprises in the Arches on the station development site;

the plight of young people in Peckham;

how to create real affordable housing;

the need for a proactive food growing strategy;

the lack of a coherent strategy for cycling.

The Inspector can identify for change only matters which are fundamental to the effectiveness of the Plan.

In the middle of the Public Hearings we had the successful Peckham Takeover of the V&A, and at the end we have had a 4 page spread in the Evening Standard Magazine. These confirmed the case we had put at the enquiry that the evidence base for the PNAAP was in some respects now out of date, and that more emphasis should be given to the role of the creative economy, compared with conventional retail, in the development plans for Peckham town centre.

2009-2012

12th November 2012 followed by monthly meetings since

Nearly 30 people - residents, community groups, artistic & creative enterprises, and businesses - attended the Peckham Vision workshop on the PNAAP (Peckham & Nunhead Area Action Plan). Jon Medlin, a professional Planning volunteer from Planning Aid for London, took us through the special ways that comments and objections have to be made for the latest and final stage of the consultation process. Several objections were made by the deadline of 4th December 2012, all linking to the development of aspects of Peckham town centre, including:

creative industries & their role in the local economy

tall buildings

energy and environmental sustainability

development of town centre sites

Several of the workshop participants submitted formal objections to the PNAAP, and have met monthly since January 2013 to prepare for the Examination in Public Hearing (EIP) which will start on 23 July 2013. The themes are the further development of those which have been emerging in the Forum since 2009.

May to September 2011

There were a series of public meetings aranged by the Council during this period for consultation on the PNAAP and the proposed town centre Conservation Area. In the meantime Peckham Vision's work to develop contacts with small businesses in the town centre continues. This confirms the point that has been emerging in the Town Centre Forum for years that the poor and deteriorating state of the streets in the town centre is a serious pressing issue. Much of the progress made with the Council's Peckham Programme through the Rye Lane & Station Action Group has been set back,and needs to be done again. The Peckham Programme was disbanded in 2008 leaving no part of the Council with an overview of Peckham town centre or responsibility for joined up working between a variety of daily operational maintenance functions, and enforcement and planning policy functions.

19th February, 17th & 31st March 2011

These very sucessful events were jointly organised by the Council Planning Policy team and the PTC Forum, arising from our discussions in the Peckham Town Centre Forum, in relation to the town centre and the PNAAP. For further information on these events see also Peckham Residents' Network blog

Thursday 17th March 5.00pm for 5.30pm-8.00pm : Local Economy Seminar in the Bussey building.

[pictures]
Over 50 people attended creating very lively group discussions - a mix of local residents, local businesses, architecture students, and council officers from several different departments. This was followed up by the liaison meeting for further actions held later on 7th April.

27th & 30th November 2010

Following the successful walkabout and Town Centre Forum meeting on 23rd October, the Council organised in the Bussey building two preview events - Sat 27 November & Tues 30 November - of the Preferred Options of the PNAAP to give the public a chance to give some early feedback. These were excellent chances to make a contribution and become better informed about the revitalisation of Peckham town centre.

The Council had said: "These will be informal sessions. People may come for part of the time if they wish. There will be displays and information on the key emerging preferred options for the Peckham and Nunhead area action plan (PNAAP). As well as an early opportunity to find out what direction the preferred options are heading in, this is a chance to give initial thoughts and reactions as an input into finalising the preferred options that will be consulted on next year."

There were very successful and useful discussions at both events, in spite of the arctic weather on Tuesday. See notes from discussions. Latest news is that the PNAAP Preferred Options report will not now be ready for consultation until May. There will therefore be some community and Council events before then to continue these discussions. Photos below from Saturday 27th November:

16th December 2009

This first meeting of Peckham Town Centre Forum was held just six weeks after the idea arose at the Rye Lane and Station Action Group (RLSAG) October 2009 meeting. It was arranged in collaboration between Peckham Vision and the Council Planning officers for the PNAAP. This continued the momentum stimulated at the RLSAG meeting. There were 29 participants. The meeting heard the background, and some of the needs for revitalisation and indications of participants' interests. Then moved into Open Space where all present decided who they wanted to talk with. For the last half hour all came back together and reported on issues and actions. The key conclusions are detailed in the checklist (updated) for Discussion Questions, Actions and Ideas, under these headings: